The Sun Goddess of Cargills Castle

by Neisha Nilsen

  What seemed like an eternity, we finally got to a point where I could see the dark path between the Oak trees, where the bones of judgement would be. What if I couldn’t get through again? It was a slow process but it was working. The Fomorians did not know we were there. Uar turned to me and took my hand. He pulled me closer to him as we approached the bones of judgement. I could hear their calls and I could feel the pull to get to the Oak trees. My head started to spin. I was where I needed to be. I felt my arm starting to glow. I looked desperately at my arm. I hadn’t thought about that. My armour didn’t cover my arms. The glow reached my hand and the pattern of flames shone out.

  “Brigid!” someone yelled.

  I spun around as Uar pushed me over the threshold. I bounced off it and landed on my bum.

  “Stop! Brigid!”

  Who was calling my name? It was familiar, I knew that voice. Then all chaos broke loose. Uar picked me up and threw me over his shoulders. I gagged as the breath left my chest with the force of falling on the ground. Uar had been hit by an arrow. It was sticking out of his shoulder. Oh god, no.

  “No! Uar!” I screamed. I lay on top of him to shield him. Uar’s warriors were in full force creating a wall around us. “Uar!”

  He took my hand “Go Brigid, go now!”

  “No! I won’t leave you!”

  “Go!” he screamed as he pushed me away. “I’ll be fine.”

  I stood up. There was a thin wall of Uar’s warriors and what looked like a sea of Fomorians. They were dropping like flies. I could see Tunnan up in the trees, firing his arrows and knocking the enemy down. His archery style reminded me of Hayden’s, so similar.

  ◆◆◆

  Brea ran up to me. “Go Brigid, go! You must get to our Mother. We will hold them off.”

  A huge dog jumped over the sea of Fomorians and Brea struck it down with her dagger straight into its skull as another grabbed onto her leg and pulled her down. I had to do something. I was the saviour, I had the light. I spun around in the chaos and saw Yute on the ground with a huge Fomorian on him. Yute looked spent as the Fomorians blade was slowly piercing his skin on his chest. Yute was holding it up but the Fomorian was too strong and the laws of gravity were winning. Without thinking, I grabbed an arrow and shot. I saw the look of astonishment on Yute’s face as the Fomorian collapsed on top of him with an arrow poking out of his eye. He looked at me, but I didn’t have time to respond, I had to do something and quickly. I looked at the fires around the camp. An idea formed in my head. I closed my eyes and willed them all to me. I kept my eyes closed and imagined a wall of fire between us and the Fomorians. I could feel the stretching of my light take over the meadow and the pulling as I pulled the fire to where I wanted it to go. I heard screaming as I opened my eyes. It worked! It worked! I did a wee jump of excitement! It had actually worked! A huge wall of fire now separated us. I could feel its powerful heat and wanted to pull it into myself for comfort. I could hear the screams of the enemy as they were burnt by their own fires that were willed to me, doing what I wanted them to do. There was something unfamiliar within the fire, an unfamiliar power. I turned around and could see Uar holding his hand out while he held his bleeding shoulder with the other. He was helping me. He was helping me hold the wall of fire. The wall wobbled as I lost concentration and a handful of Fomorians got through. Brea and her crew sorted them out quickly, but I had to stay focused. Our success was riding on getting us all safely through the bones of judgement.

  “Go!” I called out to Brea. “Go!” I nodded towards the dark path.

  “No! You need to go first! You’re too important.” She called out as she wiped her blade clean against her thigh.

  I looked at the wall. If I went first, everyone would die. I had to keep this up and get everyone through. I’d bolt at the end and hope that the bones will let me through otherwise I was a goner. “I can’t, I have to hold this wall up. If I lose concentration it will come down.”

  She grimaced. She knew I was right.

  “I will stay!”

  I looked at Uar.

  “I’ll stay with her.” His healing powers must’ve kicked in as he wasn’t holding his shoulder anymore. Both of his hands were out like mine helping to control the wall of fire. “Go! Go now!” I could feel his power as he yelled at Brea.

  She nodded and yelled at everyone to go through. I could feel the relief as the last ones went through, they were safe. “Right Brig, you can let go. Let’s go!” Brea ran through the path as I looked at Uar.

  I dropped the wall and turned to run.

  “Brig!” That voice was yelling at me again. It was instinct to turn as my name was being called. I turned and froze. Walking towards me from beyond the wall of ash was Hayden.

  “Hayden!” My heart skipped a beat. “Hayden, run! Get out of here.” I started to run towards him. What was he doing here? I grabbed my bow and arrow, ready to protect him.

  “Brigid, run!” I could hear Uar as he tried to pull me back.

  “No, I have to save him! He doesn’t know what’s going on!” I pulled away from Uar.

  I stopped. Something didn’t feel right. Hayden was walking towards me. I watched the Fomorians, the enemy, step aside to let him pass. “What?” It was like slow motion, they were letting him pass, why would they do that?

  Uar grabbed me around my waist and lifted me towards the bones and shouted, “That’s not Hayden, that’s Cichol – we have to go! Now!”

  “Let her go!” Hayden boomed. I felt the blast of power as Uar flew through the air, as he dropped me I felt familiar arms wrap around me. “Sorry Brig” I heard whispered in my ear, then complete darkness flooded me as pain exploded in my brain.

  CHAPTER 16

  My head was pounding and I was cold. I must be coming down with something. How inconvenient it was to get a cold during summer. Mum would know what to do. She’d give me some of her vitamins and tuck me up in bed. I stretched and tested my muscles. They hurt, but I had to get up and tell Mum I wasn’t feeling well so she could sort me out. She’ll know what to do. A few of those vitamins and back to bed for me and I’d be good as gold in a few days, maybe even tomorrow I’d be feeling better. I sat up and opened my eyes. It was dark, but I could see shadows in the distance. A creepy feeling ran down my back, I was not in my room! A flood of terror rushed through me. I was captured! Hayden! Oh my god Hayden captured me! He hit me around the head and captured me. Pure hatred took over my body. How could he?! He was my best friend! He knew my family. He played PlayStation with my brother! What was his deal? I couldn’t believe my best friend would do this to me. Everything I knew about him was a lie, he lied to me about everything. Hayden must’ve told the Fomorians where I was when I text him about protecting my family, what a lying pig! I was so mad! I lay back down. It was hard and cold. I felt the floor with my hand. It was cold damp stone. I was locked in a cold damp stone prison… thanks a lot Hayden. “You wait until I see you again” I whispered to myself. My mind filled itself with revenge plots. I was going to get him back for this. I wished my Mum really was here with her vitamins. Zeg! Oh my god, Zeg was wrapped against me during the battle. I felt frantically around my chest, there was nothing there. He wasn’t here. He had helped, but where was he now? My armour had gone and instead I was wearing some rough tunic over my leather leggings. I hoped he was okay and managed to get away. Oh Zeg, I’d never forgive myself if something happened to him. I felt lonely and stupid. Stupid for believing in Hayden, stupid for thinking he was my best friend and that he’d always have my back no matter what. Now, I’m in a stinking cold prison with no idea where I am. Tears started to fall. Did anyone even know where I was? Did Uar know where I was? Would he save me or would he think I was a lost cause? I needed to feel his strength, his light, I needed him. He has to come and get me. He’d come and get me, I was sure of it. But what if he couldn’t, what if he can’t find me. My family would be devastated that I never made it home. They will search for me but they will never find me. I wasn
’t even in the same dimension as them. I was stuck in the Otherworld, in a cold stoned prison, with no light, no fresh air – nothing.

  I reopened my eyes when I felt a shadow fall over me. I quickly leapt up and scratched. I scratched and kicked with all I could. I heard laughter… they were laughing at me!

  “Arghhhhhhh!” I screamed and spat at them and kicked again. I felt something soft against my kick as I was picked up and thrown against the cold hard wall. I fell in a heap on the ground.

  “Keep that up missy and I won’t feed ya.”

  “I don’t care” I whispered mostly to myself. It was true, I didn’t care. My whole world had just come crushing down on me. I heard a metal hinge lock as the heavy footsteps left me alone. I rubbed my shoulder and collapsed into myself.

  ◆◆◆

  “I told ya, she hasn’t eaten. She’s a witch! She kicked me in ma privates.”

  I heard a snigger. “Maybe she’s a witch, maybe she might turn ya into a soft lazy cow like ya are.”

  A fist hit flesh as a fight broke out in my prison cell. I sat up and pushed myself to the corner of my cell. It was lighter now and I could see the huge Fomorians pounding fists into each other. Both had large deformities on their bodies with lumps and boils everywhere. They both had red capes draped over their shoulders. The larger one had the short fatter one in a choke hold and its face was turning purple, he was about to pass out. Good I thought to myself, and I hoped he cracked his head open on the way down.

  “Enough!” Someone bellowed from the doorway. They both scampered to the far wall and bowed. It was Hayden. “Leave us!” The two guards quickly left.

  I turned my back to him and wrapped my arms around my knees. I felt his hand gently touch my shoulder. “How could you?” I asked him quietly. “How could you?”

  “Brig… I”

  “How could you!” I screamed. I suddenly attacked him. I kicked and punched. I wanted to rip his eyes out. I did everything I possibly could to hurt him in my blind anger. “How could you! You were my best friend! You were my maths partner!” I grabbed his hair, yanked his head down and I punched him in the nose. He didn’t even flinch. He wrapped his arms around me holding me down. I tried to kick, to scratch his eyes out but he had me bound tightly with this arms. He sat us awkwardly down on the ground and wrapped his legs around me too. I managed to get my foot out as I kicked it into his shin. He wrapped it back around and I was trapped, trapped between Hayden’s arms and legs, and there was no getting out. They were like metal vices. Tears were streaming down my face, anger was controlling me at the moment and all my anger wanted to do was to hurt Hayden. He held me tighter and started rocking me. My arms and legs were trapped under his and he had my head trapped under his own head. He shushed me gently as he rocked and started to whisper sweet calming words into my ear. Against my will I started to feel myself calm down. I started to rock with him and I cried. I cried until there were no more tears. He stayed with me, not saying a word and not letting me go.

  Hayden broke the silence between us. “It wasn’t supposed to be like this Brig.”

  “Yeah Hayden, well how was it supposed to be, you tell me.”

  “You were supposed to stay in Dunedin. You were supposed to stay safe. I gave you that bracelet to stop you from leaving. Nothing was supposed to get to you. All you had to do was keep my bracelet on, but instead you had to be a hero didn’t you.”

  I huffed. I didn’t care what he said. I didn’t take that bracelet off by choice, hell I couldn’t even remember taking it off, it was in the sink in a bowl of salty water when I woke up the morning after he gave it to me. “You lied to me Hayden, or should I call you Cichol.”

  He stopped rocking when I said his real name and paused. “You know.”

  “I do now!” I could feel the anger boil back up in me. “You had me believe that Uar was Cichol, that he was the one that was going to betray me, but no – it was you! You were Cichol all along. You’re the betrayer. You want me dead!”

  “Brig listen to me…”

  “Cichol!”

  He let go of me as he jumped to his feet. He wiped the dirt off his leather tunic and looked undisturbed. “She went berserk, she needed calming.”

  The man talking to Cichol was definitely the man in charge. Authority oozed out of him. I could practically smell it. He had a metal Viking hat on top of his long wavy blond hair that hung over his shoulders. There were two horns poking out from the top of his hat. His brown leather vest was made with the texture and design of scales. He was extremely handsome, in an old man kind of way. I felt entranced by him, he was magnificent. There was a feeling of intelligence about him and coldness, total utter coldness. Then I remembered where I was and he was quite possibly the reason I was in this hell hole. I stood up and held my head up high. This magnificent man was not going to get to me. I looked at Hayden, I mean Cichol. He hung his head in a submissive stance. This big Viking man was clearly his boss. Hayden looked different. He looked bigger. He was wearing similar clothing to the Viking and it was odd not seeing him in his jeans and faded t-shirt. His muscles were larger, he looked bigger, taller even. He turned and looked at me. No feelings on his face. I was just a piece of dirt to him. I snarled at him.

  “So, this is her” the leader pointed to me. “She is the one to bring me down.”

  Cichol nodded but didn’t say anything.

  The leader came over to me, grabbed my chin and looked in to my eyes. His eyes were a deep dark blue and they bore into mine right down to my soul. I did my best not to look away. “She doesn’t look like much.” He shoved my chin away roughly and broke eye contact. “But I suppose they never do.”

  He clicked his fingers and a deformed Fomorian came in with a chair. He placed it down behind the leader as he sat down. The chair groaned under his weight. “Right, let’s get down to business.” I gulped. This did not sound good. I’ve watched movies and I knew this wasn’t going to end well for me. “Brigid?” he looked at Cichol for confirmation of my name and Cichol nodded. “You have the same name as my ex-wife, how cliché.”

  Then it dawned on me. My captor was Bres, Uar’s father. I didn’t say anything to him but held my head up high. I didn’t dare look at Cichol. Not that he would care anyway.

  Bres clicked his fingers twice. A Fomorian appeared with a small wooden table and sat it down in front of him. A second Fomorian appeared with another chair and stopped in front of Bres. Bres nodded towards me and the Fomorian made his way over to me with the chair. He placed the chair down behind me. I spun around and kicked the chair into the Fomorian’s shins. He let out a howl as my head slammed into the small wooden table. Bres lowered his head to my ear as his enormous hand squeezed my head against the wood. “Do that again and I’ll tie you up… do you want that?”

  I snarled at him and twisted to get out of his hold.

  “I said DO YOU WANT THAT!”

  I flinched. My ears were ringing as his screaming words buried their way into my head and banged against the sides. Bres was going to kill me, of that I was sure. I relaxed under his grip and he let my head go.

  “Now I suggest you take the chair I have so graciously given you or I will tie you up and you can sit on the hard cold floor.”

  I slowly stood up and stared at him trying to hold back my tears.

  “DO YOU UNDERSTAND?”

  I flinched as his powerful voice boomed through my prison room. I nodded my head and sat down. I could feel my body shaking.

  He tapped his fingers on the table. “I have a problem Brigid” he said gently. “I’m hungry!” He blurted out. He clicked his fingers and trays of food came out. “What about you? Brigid are you hungry?” He laughed “Of course you are, look at you. You are in my prison and I feed you when I want to!” He leaned forward and stared at me. I held his stare. I didn’t know what to say. Was this a trick? He laughed again. “Go. Eat. Eat with me Brigid.”

  I starred at Cichol. He starred back with a blank expression with his hand
s behind his back as if he was standing guard. He didn’t care.

  Bres saw where I was looking. “Cichol! Come join us. Eat, you deserve it. Look at what you’ve brought me… my treasure.” He laughed as he clicked his fingers again. A chair came and Cichol sat at the table between Bres and I.

  Bres and Cichol dug in. There was so much food. Roast meat, vegetables, breads and sweets. I didn’t know what to do. I still thought this was a trick. If I reached out for some food, would Bres chop my hand off? He did say for me to eat and I was starving. I didn’t know what to do.

  “What’s the matter? You don’t like my food I have kindly provided you?” Bres asked.

  “No, I… I just don’t know if you’re tricking me or not.”

  He boomed with laughter again. “Cichol, get this useless girl some food… for some reason she doesn’t trust me.”